


Reunited

by help_howls_out_now



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Kiss, Fix-It, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, One Shot, Post-Canon, Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:15:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27518245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/help_howls_out_now/pseuds/help_howls_out_now
Summary: Dean never thought he would see Castiel again. Apparently, he was wrong. What comes next?
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 20
Kudos: 273





	Reunited

Dean found himself standing in an empty room. Well, it wasn't quite a room as much as it was a never-ending expanse of white. The sudden brightness hurt his eyes and he stumbled before catching himself. Sam was to his left in a similar state of disarray. 

“What the hell happened?” He demanded, his voice echoing around him. 

“I don’t know,” Sam responded breathlessly. “Did we win?” 

Dean closed his eyes and attempted to slow his breathing. He put his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose and tried to clear the fog from his mind. He remembered being in a cemetery with Jack, Sam, and Chuck. The same cemetery from ten years ago when they stopped Lucifer and Michael. To his horror, he remembered Chuck snapping his fingers and Sam’s neck giving a sickening crack before his body crumpled to the ground, lifeless. 

He remembered a sharp pain in his chest and not being able to breathe. Chuck looked at him with a smirk on his face and a mischievous glint in his eye. Dean looked down to see his hands covered in blood when they came away from his shirt. He tried so hard to stay upright but the pain was unbearable and he doubled over. The last thing he remembered was Jack walking - no,  _ floating - _ towards Chuck, his eyes pitch black and dark shadows coming out of his hands. 

Sam gasped loudly and raised his palm to his forehead. His memories must have caught up with him too. 

“Dean, I- I think we’re dead.” 

“No shit,” Dean replied. He was desperately trying not to freak out, but he felt sick and his heart was beating wildly.  _ Why is my heart still beating if I’m dead?  _

“Okay,” Sam said with a deep breath, clearly trying to calm himself. “We have to figure out what’s going on. Jack was with us. He has to be around here somewhere.”

“I’m here,” said a voice from behind. Sam and Dean whirled around, reaching to their belts for weapons that weren’t there. Jack stood in front of them, as if he had been there the entire time. He had an oddly calm expression on his face. 

Dean allowed himself to relax a little.If they were all dead, at least they were all together. “Jack, what happened? Where’s Chuck?”

“He’s gone,” Jack said.

“Gone?” Sam asked. “What do you mean ‘gone?’” 

Dean then noticed that all of the traces of blood and dirt that had covered Jack were gone. The same went for Sam and himself. They wore the same clothes as they had before, but they all looked fresh and clean. As if they hadn’t been fighting tooth and nail with God moments before.

Jack interrupted his thoughts, “I mean, we won. Chuck is gone and he can’t hurt or control anyone anymore. All of the people he took are back on Earth and they have no memory of what happened.” 

There was a tense silence for a moment. Dean stopped breathing.

“Um...okay?” Sam said. “So...where are we now?”

“This is the In-Between,” Jack answered in the same calm voice. “Both of your physical bodies were too badly injured for me to immediately put you back on Earth. They are healing now. I considered taking you to Heaven, but I would not have had enough strength to return you to Earth for some time if I did. This was the best option.” 

Dean was really starting to panic now. He held up a hand, “Okay, wait! Back up for a minute. Chuck just  _ killed _ us. How are we even here right now? The plan didn’t work and we were dead...but we won somehow? I’m not buying it.”

“Chuck  _ did  _ kill you.” Dean detected the first hint of emotion in Jack’s voice. “I saw it happen and I couldn’t stop it. So I pulled out all the stops. I had enough power inside of me to call a friend.” Jack smiled at this. 

“What friend?” Dean demanded. Jack’s eyes were looking just past him though, to something in the distance.

Dean turned and his breath caught. Standing there, impossibly, was Castiel. He wore the same clothes he was taken in, trench coat and all, but he looked fresh and clean and  _ alive.  _ He seemed just as confused as Sam and Dean were. Cas walked slowly towards the group, staring at Dean with his brows furrowed and eyes squinted, as if he were trying to convince himself that he was real. 

“Cas…” Dean whispered. His mind was blank and he couldn’t seem to find any words. He couldn’t bring himself to look away either, so they continued to stare at each other in disbelief.

The seconds dragged on until Jack broke them out of their reverie, “After Chuck killed you, I reached out to Castiel. I ran into The Empty along the way and, well...we made a deal.” 

They all wheeled around in horror.

“What?” gasped Castiel, “No, Jack! Tell me you didn’t sacrifice yourself for me!” 

“I didn’t sacrifice myself. Well, I tried to but it didn’t work.” 

“What?”

“We all thought the ritual would give me the power to take down Chuck, but we were wrong. When I saw him kill you and Sam...I realized I was completely alone. First Castiel, then you. It broke me. I didn’t care about Chuck, or saving the world anymore. I selfishly abandoned the fight and did everything I could to bring you back - all of you.”

Castiel shuddered and clinched his fist. His face was paler than Dean had ever seen it and he stared at Jack in rapt attention. 

“I woke The Empty when I was searching for Cas. It was angry...so I made It an offer. If It returned Castiel and helped me bring Chuck down, then It could keep both me and Chuck.”

Cas took a step forward and reached out to him. “Jack, no...” he began.

Jack held a palm up, halting the interruption, “But The Empty didn’t realize how powerful Chuck and I would be  _ together _ . Our battle started tearing It apart the moment we arrived. It had bitten off more than it could chew, so It agreed to set me free and keep Chuck. And now...well...I’m  _ different. _ ”

Dean was still struggling to catch up. One minute, Cas was gone, Sam was dead, and he was dying. Everyone in the world was gone and Chuck was winning. Now, they had somehow won, Cas was back, and Jack was...what?

“Different, how?” Sam asked, echoing Dean’s thoughts. 

Jack paused for a moment. His eyes were distant when he began speaking again, “I absorbed some of Chuck’s powers. He was  _ so _ strong. The Empty didn’t even notice that it happened. I think...I am what Chuck was meant to be. I understand things now that you could not possibly imagine. I have all of his memories and knowledge. I’m not all-powerful, but I somehow know that I am the most powerful being in the universe. I could destroy the world if I wanted to.” He gave Dean a knowing look, “I could control everything and everyone.” 

Dean’s heart sank. 

Jack smiled softly. “Which is why I can’t let this power fall into another’s hands. Because they would abuse it. They would make others do their bidding, just like Chuck did. I saw the way it hurt you, the way it made you hurt each other. I will  _ never _ be like that. I will  _ never  _ take away a person’s free will.” His eyes moved from Dean to Sam and then to Cas. He grinned widely and shrugged, “That’s just how I was raised.”

Cas gave a breathless laugh and Dean turned to see tears in his eyes. He was looking at Jack with so much love and pride, similar to the way he looked at Dean the last time they were together.

He shook off the thought and took a step forward, “Wait, Jack. You’re just a kid. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. This...it’s too much. You’ll never have a normal life. You have no idea what you’re letting go of.”

“Yes I do, Dean. But this is my choice. This is who I was  _ meant _ to be. I have been trying to find my purpose in life for so long, and I finally found it.” 

“Jack, listen to me.” He could hear the desperation in his voice. “All of us have had a taste of power before, and it messed us up. You don’t want this.” He thought back to the Mark of Cain, to when Cas freed the Leviathan, to when Sam was addicted to demon blood. He couldn’t let Jack go down the same path.

“I know why you’re afraid, Dean. I have all of Chuck’s memories...I know what he put all of you through. Power is dangerous. But I know that as my family, you would find a way to stop me if I ever abused it.” 

Dean heard the finality in his voice. Jack was right. He was letting go of his one chance to have a normal life, and in doing so, stopping this power from falling into someone else’s hands who would destroy everything they had fought for. Dean couldn’t help but bitterly think that it made sense. Jack was part of the family, after all. He was following in their footsteps.

“Okay,” Dean said, defeated. “But if you have one single moment where you consider doing something even a little sketchy, you come talk to us. You might be... _ sort of _ a god, but you’re not in this alone.”

Jack nodded, “I know.” 

Abruptly, Sam broke the line that the three of them had unwittingly made between themselves and Jack. He wrapped Jack into a hug and muttered something that Dean couldn’t make out. Jack’s eyes lit up and he hugged Sam back tightly.

With that, the remaining tension broke. Dean was so tired and relieved, he simply did not have the energy to be afraid anymore. He hugged Jack and told him, “I’m proud of you.” Jack beamed back at him, looking happier than he ever had before. Jack’s reunion with Cas was emotional and Dean averted his eyes, feeling as though he was eavesdropping. Then he realized that  _ he  _ hadn’t even greeted Cas yet. 

He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Cas was actually  _ here _ . Just two weeks ago, he was gone forever. Now he was standing a few feet away. There were so many things that Dean wanted to say, but he didn’t even know where to start.

After Cas and Jack separated, the Angel faced Dean. A brief panic flashed across his eyes. Without thinking, Dean went to him and wrapped him into a hug.  _ He’s here. He’s real. _ Dean’s eyes filled with tears. He clung to Cas as if he would disappear or fly off at any moment. One of his hands moved to cradle the back of Cas’ head and he felt soft hair between his fingers. The action was strangely intimate, but Dean was far past caring. Cas sighed and leaned down so that his face was buried into the other man’s shoulder. Perhaps he was holding back tears too, but Dean couldn’t tell. He closed his eyes and allowed the relief to wash through him. 

All too quickly, Sam’s voice broke through the moment, “So...what happens now?” 

Cas stepped out of the embrace and wiped his eyes. Dean could now see that he  _ had  _ been crying. It made his heart clench even more tightly.

“The Empty does not back out of a deal,” Cas said in a heavy voice. “You negotiated my freedom, but you didn’t negotiate the deal I had already made. The Empty also has a bit of a...personal grudge against me. It will likely take me again if I...meet certain requirements.” He very pointedly kept his eyes on Jack. 

Dean felt the blood drain from his face. 

Jack ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Yes, I realized that only after having made my own deal. But I believe I know a way out of it.” 

“How?” Dean asked desperately. Cas glanced at him quickly before looking away. 

“I’m afraid they aren’t the best options. You could stay in heaven. The Empty cannot reach you there, but you would never be able to return to Earth again.” Jack flinched as he said it. “Or you could return to Earth as a human, and live a mortal life. The Empty has no interest in humans.” 

Cas’ eyes widened, “That’s not possible.” 

“It is. But it means you would lose your grace and you would never get it back. You would live and die, the same as any other human.” 

Dean’s immediate response was, “No.” 

Castiel met Dean’s eyes. “It’s my choice, Dean.”. 

“Well they’re shitty choices.” 

“They are the only choices I have. We’re lucky I even have  _ that _ much.” 

Dean was suddenly angry, “Dude, you are not losing your grace! It’s not happening.” 

“So what, I’m supposed to stay in heaven for eternity?” Cas sounded exasperated. “I was human before and I managed.”

“Yeah, you managed a Gas-N-Sip! You were also homeless and you died, like, immediately.”

“Only because  _ you _ kicked me out of the bunker!” 

“Guys, stop!” Sam interjected. 

Dean suddenly felt very tired. He sat on the too-bright white floor and put his hands over his eyes. He knew he was being a dick to Cas and he had  _ just _ gotten him back, but this was too much. The only reason Cas was in this situation was because of him. He had to get him out of this, one way or another. He just had to come up with a plan.

“I’m sorry,” Jack said sadly, “I wish there was another way. Any attempt to make a new deal with The Empty could result in Chuck being freed or Castiel being taken. We can’t risk it.”

Dean tried to shut him out, but he knew he was right. There were no other options. Cas would be losing so much no matter what he did. 

Jack sounded tired, “Either way, you’ll have to make a decision soon. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep you here. I‘m powerful, but I'm not indestructible...and it’s been a very long day.”

After a beat, Cas announced, “I need to speak to Dean alone.” 

“Of course,” said Jack, and he motioned for Sam to follow. Sam gave a long look to Dean that clearly translated to,  _ don’t blow this.  _ Dean’s mouth went dry and a surge of panic washed through him. Everything was happening too fast.

After Jack and Sam disappeared, the two were silent for a long moment. With a deep breath for courage, Dean stood and faced the Angel. He felt like they were somehow standing both too close and too far apart.

Castiel was the first to speak, “I know this is difficult for you to hear, Dean. But I need you to know that everything I said to you was true. I meant every word.”

Dean blinked in surprise.  _ That  _ was not what he expected him to say. 

Cas sighed and looked away. His voice was low but determined, “I know it puts you in an...awkward position. I know it changes everything between us. But I have to make a choice. All I ever wanted was to follow you...to be with you. I was content to be your friend. But...I can’t do that anymore. I can’t- ...I can’t be so close to you and still be so far away.”

Dean just stared, confused. Cas’ brows were furrowed and he didn’t take his eyes off the floor.

“Now, I have to choose something that  _ doesn’t  _ include being with you. All of the choices I have ever made have involved you. I’m just...torn. Saving you, sacrificing myself to The Empty...that was supposed to be my ending. I don’t know where to go from here. I just need to know that no matter what decision I make, you won’t hate me for it.” 

Cas finally met Dean’s gaze, a look of desperation in his eyes.

Just like that, a flip switched in Dean’s mind and he knew what he had to do _.  _ He straightened his shoulders and squared his jaw, filled with sudden resolve. 

“Okay, Cas. You got to say your peace. Now it’s my turn.”

He took two steps closer and tried to ignore the fear in Cas’ eyes. He  _ had  _ to do this. It was literally now or never. 

“Cas, I’m not good with words or...feelings. You know that. So just- let me start by saying that everything you said to me before...about how I see myself, and how my motivation is love...you were right. You were completely right and-...and the thing is, I didn’t believe any of those things until  _ you _ told me.”

Cas looked completely taken aback and confused. Dean realized that he probably made the exact same face when Cas made his own speech. The thought made him giddy and he let out a nervous chuckle, which contorted Cas’ already bewildered face even more. 

“You see- the thing is...you’re an Angel. Like, a literal Angel from Heaven. And- and even when I realized that most Angels were dicks,  _ you  _ weren’t _.  _ You were a good one- the best one. You rebelled against everything you ever knew and you saved the world. You save me and Sammy countless times. And you-...Cas you’re just…. _ good.  _ You’re kind and you’re brave and strong and-...and the fact that you saw so much good in  _ me _ made me realize that maybe I’m not so bad after all.”

Dean paused and tried to catch his breath. He hated the fact that he was stumbling over his words so much.  _ Don’t mess this up. _

“And I’m just so sick of losing you, Cas. I’m so sick of it. Every time I do, it-...it feels like my heart is being ripped out. The last time was the worst because I knew- I knew you wouldn’t be saying those things to me unless it was really our last goodbye.” He started talking faster, like he would lose the words if he paused for too long. “And I was scared Cas. I was so scared. It took me so long to  _ believe  _ what you were saying. But I just stood there like an idiot and I wanted you to stop because I didn’t want to lose you. Then you said it.” He swallowed the lump in his throat, “You said you- you said that you  _ loved _ me. And I just…Cas I’ve heard that over and over again in my head ever since you said it and I’m just so  _ pissed  _ at myself.”

Cas cut in, “Dean, there is no reason to be upset with yourself. I have been here long enough to understand things like...sexuality and gender. You cannot blame yourself for my own feelings.”

“But that’s the thing, Cas!” Dean gestured widely with his arms. He started pacing around, his anxiety finally bubbling over. “I have _always_ been mad at myself for it! And I’ve been so stupid because you have been here for so long and I’ve never even-...never even let myself begin to think-...”

He stopped again and struggled to calm down. His voice was sounding more hoarse and ruined by the second, but he pressed on.   


“Cas, I have always kept people at a distance. It’s just The Life, y’know? You get close to someone and you lose them and it hurts like hell. So I did that to you. I tried so hard to keep you at a distance but it hurt even more when you died because I never  _ told you,  _ and then you were just gone... _ ”  _

Dean trailed off and couldn’t find his voice again no matter how hard he tried. He stopped pacing and stared at the floor. He distantly noticed his fists were clenched, his heart was racing and a cold sweat had broken out across his neck. The silence was deafening. 

After what felt like hours but was really only seconds, Castiel whispered in a strange voice, just barely loud enough for Dean to hear him. 

“Tell me what?” 

Dean finally turned to look at him. His best friend. The Angel who sacrificed everything for him. Who saw the good in him when he couldn’t see it himself. The one person besides his brother that he could not imagine his life without.

Castiel’s face was riddled with emotions. His eyes were full of tears that hadn’t spilled over. He looked shaken to the core and his anxiety was palpable. But Dean also saw in his eyes, unmistakable  _ hope _ . 

That alone was enough to give Dean one more burst of courage. He looked Cas in the eye and slowly made his way over to him, never breaking his gaze. Both of them were holding their breath.

All too quickly, Dean was right in Cas’ personal space. A single tear spilled over Cas’ cheek. Dean lifted his hand and softly wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. The moment their skin made contact, Cas let out all of his breath in a single huff and leaned into the touch. 

Dean cupped the other side of Cas’ face and closed the distance between them. 

It was a simple kiss, really. Chaste. Dean’s lips were a bit chapped and Cas’ were soft. Another tear spilled over Cas’ cheek and Dean felt it trail along his own skin. Cas’ stubble was soft under his hands.

It was perfect.

They pulled apart and Dean felt an enormous weight lift off of him. No more hiding. No more lying to himself. Cas was gazing at him with so much love and joy that it nearly overwhelmed him. 

“I love you, Cas. Will you stay with me?” 

*******************************

One year later, Dean and Castiel are driving down an empty two-lane highway listening to  _ Kansas _ . Sam and the dog are at Eileen’s house for the third day in a row. Cas has a bandage on his hand from a minor gardening accident. Dean has a surprise day off from the car shop that he works at.

To an outsider, it’s not much. Just an ordinary day in an ordinary life. 

To those who loved these men during the darkest times of their lives, who fought beside them when all of the odds were against them, who have passed on but aren’t  _ really  _ gone...it is everything. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first SPN fic ever, and actually the first fic I have written since 2013. Also, I stopped watching the show around season 8...so sorry if I got some details wrong or wrote Jack OOC. Let me know what you think!


End file.
